Week 6

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Questions and Answers

What primarily moderates the overall decline in episodic memory among older adults?

Genetic predisposition

The complexity of the memory task

Changing environmental conditions and practice (correct)

The age of the individual alone

Which statement about semantic memory is true as individuals age?

It shows immediate recall deficits compared to episodic memory

It is unaffected by age or practice

It consistently declines after age 65

It tends to increase in vocabulary until age 65 (correct)

Which aspect of autobiographical memory remains largely unchanged with age?

The self function related to personal growth (correct)

The amount of negative memories recalled

The directive function for future actions (correct)

The social function in connecting with others (correct)

In what context are age effects most evident in memory recall tests?

When familiarity is insufficient Signup and view all the answers

What is the impact of practice on episodic memory for older adults?

It helps in integrating complex events into unified memories Signup and view all the answers

What are the primary characteristics of working memory compared to long-term memory?

Working memory involves short-term retention of information, while long-term memory focuses on persistent information storage. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following processing requirements is not involved in memory functionality?

Integration Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of attention allows individuals to manage multiple sources of information effectively?

Divided Attention Signup and view all the answers

Which type of memory relies heavily on the ability to recognize previously learned information?

Explicit Memory Signup and view all the answers

How do older adults generally respond to distractions compared to younger adults?

They are more significantly impacted by irrelevant distractions. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key difference between implicit and explicit memory?

Implicit memory does not require conscious thought for retrieval, whereas explicit memory does. Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of alertness in the context of attention?

It is crucial for distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of working memory is affected more significantly by age-related decline?

Spatial working memory Signup and view all the answers

What is the process by which information is maintained in working memory?

Rehearsal Signup and view all the answers

Which form of memory involves recollection of information without conscious awareness?

Implicit memory Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is NOT mentioned as contributing to declines in working memory among older adults?

Frequency of use Signup and view all the answers

What type of long-term memory involves conscious recollection of events?

Episodic memory Signup and view all the answers

In what way does implicit memory decline with age in relation to learning tasks?

Varies depending on the task Signup and view all the answers

Among the types of long-term memory, which is characterized by retrieval without conscious intent?

Implicit memory Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of long-term memory?

Immediate recall of information Signup and view all the answers

What effect does age have on procedural memory according to the information provided?

Decline in motor performance, but not learning rate Signup and view all the answers

Which type of memory involves tasks requiring conscious recall of facts and events?

Episodic memory Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Memory

Learning that persists over time.
Information that has been encoded, stored, retained and subsequently retrieved.
Can be recalled, recognized, or relearned.

Memory Types

Sensory, Short-Term/Working, Long-Term.
Conscious: Declarative/Explicit, Non-Declarative/Implicit.

Information Processing

People actively participate in memory making.
Information is processed through a series of hypothetical stages or stores.

Attention

Capacity or energy necessary to support information processing.
Alertness, ignoring distractions, attending to relevant information.
Includes Automatic and Effortful Processing.

Speed and Resources

Speed of Processing: How quickly and efficiently the early steps in information processing are completed.
Processing Resources: The amount of attention one has to apply to a particular situation.

Selective Attention

Ability to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information.
Older adults are more affected by the number of distractors, especially if they are random and chaotic.
Older adults are better at selectivity.

Divided Attention Deficits

Problems that occur when distributing attention across multiple sources of information.
Older adults have more problems on complex divided tasks.

Working Memory

Active processes and structures involved in holding information in mind.
Used to solve problems, make decisions, and learn new information.
Rehearsal: The process by which information is held in working memory.

Working Memory Decline

Older adults' working memory declines, but it varies by the type of information or task.
Decline in Spatial Working Memory > Verbal Working Memory.
Factors contributing to decline: Levels of alertness, task order, task interference.
Greater prior knowledge helps.

Long-Term Memory

Ability to remember extensive amounts of information from a few seconds to decades.
Implicit (automatic memory): Retrieval of information without conscious or intentional recollection. Examples include procedural memory and priming.
Explicit (declarative): Intentional and conscious remembering of information. Examples include episodic and semantic memory.

Implicit Memory

Decline varies by task.
Decline for learning sequences of information.
No decline for learning spatial contexts.
Priming: Age-related declines in some priming tasks, but these declines are smaller than explicit memory age-related declines.
Procedural Memory: Motor performance for procedural tasks declines with age, but the rate of motor learning and motor memory does not.

Explicit Memory

Episodic Memory: Conscious recollection of information from a specific event or point in time. Includes recall (remembering without hints) and recognition (choosing from items).
Semantic Memory: Learning and remembering the meaning of words and concepts that are not tied to specific occurrences of events in time.

Episodic Memory Decline

Generally stable until around 55-60 years of age, then a steep decline from age 65.
The magnitude of the decline depends on the nature of the task and the method of testing (recall vs recognition).
Binding Deficit: A deficit in the integration of the multiple elements in complex events into a unified memory/representation.

Moderating Factors for Episodic Memory

Changing environmental conditions (processing time, reduce distractors).
Practice similar tasks prior to learning.
Encourage use of specific strategies for learning (including encoding and retrieval).
Include familiar information and external cues.
Organize information into clear and coherent categories.
Action associations can increase recall.

Semantic Memory

Remains relatively stable throughout aging.
Vocabulary expands until age 65, then remains stable or decreases slightly.
Speed of access (a more sensitive measure) does decline.

Autobiographical Memories

Recall of episodes from one's own past.
Functions: Directive, self, and social.
Few age-related losses.
Older adults remember less negative content.

Studying That Suits You

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Description

Dive into the intriguing world of memory in this quiz covering various types and stages of information processing. Understand the distinction between sensory, short-term, and long-term memory, as well as the impact of attention on memory retention. Test your knowledge on how we encode, store, and retrieve information.